On 24 February 2022, the Council of Europe Secretary General condemned the Russian military attack against Ukraine and said it was a flagrant violation of the Statute of Council of Europe and the European Convention on Human Rights. “This is a dark hour for Europe and everything it stands for”, said the Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić.

In one month, over 10 million people have been forced to run for their lives, leaving their homes and belongings. Over 6.5 million are displaced inside Ukraine and 3.7 million people have been forced to flee the country. Most of them are women and children. In response to the Secretary General´s pledge to support these vulnerable persons, various initiatives have been undertaken by the Council of Europe. A dedicated website gathers the Council of Europe´s activities related to the war in Ukraine.

The Special Representative on Migration and Refugees, Ms Leyla Kayacik, first convened an extraordinary meeting of the Network on Focal Points on Migration, and then an internal coordination meeting within the Council of Europe. After these consultations, the Special Representative identified some areas where the Council of Europe could provide support to member states at this early stage:

• the protection of the most vulnerable persons fleeing Ukraine (women, unaccompanied children, children, and older persons) from abuse, exploitation and human trafficking;
• Access to healthcare, including psychological support to those fleeing the war;
• the need for linguistic integration, for adults and children;
• the need for access to education and to the labour market; and
• the need to address integration into host societies.

These areas are covered under the Council of Europe Action Plan on Protecting Vulnerable Persons in the Context of Migration and Asylum in Europe (2021-2025).